From our Pastor’s Desk

Dear Family:

Today’s Gospel marks the beginning of the third long discourse given by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Over the next few weeks, the Gospel readings will consist of the entire 13th Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, a lengthy teaching.

Throughout these reflections, Jesus will offer several parables to illustrate what he means by the kingdom of heaven. He begins with the parable of the sower, which appears rather straightforward; of course seeds grow best in good soil. Seeds that miss the soil, are sown on rocky ground, or are sown among other plants will not grow. The surprise in the parable is the enormous yield of the seed that is sown on good soil.

Our relationship with God depends on the effectiveness of God‘s words in our lives. We have seen Jesus Christ physically, but we relate with him every day through his words and through the breaking of the bread at the holy Mass. The Word of God is like a flower: its beauty depends so much on how fertile the land is where it was planted, how often we water the soil, and our ability to prune the plant at the right time.

Jesus compared God’s word to a sower who spreads the seed on the farm. Some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Many of us were once active Christians as children and adolescence, but now our faith is no longer strong. Most of us allowed temptations and suffering to weaken our faith so much so that we even started doubting the mercy and existence of God. Most of us love our comfort and work so much that we no longer have time for God. Most of us no longer live a life worthy of our vocation as Christians, and we do not have the humility to tell God that we are sorry in the confessional. Most of us think that we are perfect and we look down on others as sinners. All these are the thorns which prevents the seed of God’s words to grow and bear abundant fruits in our lives. We must therefore examine our hearts to know if the word of God we have received through the Church and the bible have been bearing fruits in our lives, and what quantity and quality of fruits they are bearing.

Jesus was really a great preacher and teacher because He spoke in the language of the people so that the people would understand Him. He used stories, made comparisons, and used examples, all from the everyday life of the people to whom He was speaking. The seed is the word of God and it falls on different grounds. The sower is God Himself. Some grounds are good. Some are too thorny and too rocky and some are not good at all. These grounds, as one priest said in his homily about this gospel, represent four types of members in the church or they represent four kinds of hearts.

The seeds that fall on the footpath resembles the hearts of those who see the word of God, the Church and the sacraments as something outdated, old-fashioned, irrelevant, unnecessary, unimportant and which have nothing to do with their lives. That is why some would prefer to stay in their homes, watch television or go out looking for adventures. They want to worship the world rather than Christ the King. It may refer also to those people who may be caught up with deceit. They do not entertain thoughts and ideas that are opposed to their own. We call them closed-minded Catholics.

The seeds that fall on rocky ground resemble the hearts of those who start enthusiastically attending charismatic seminars, an Emmaus Retreat and other church programs, but when suffering and difficulties come in their lives, they often depart and give up. They surrender what they have, even their own faith in God. There is no real commitment.

The seed that falls on the thorny ground resembles the hearts of those who are so busy and so preoccupied with material accumulation to the extent that prayers and love or serving others are forgotten. Going to Mass on Sundays is for them a routine and just an obligation, not because they want to thank God. It does not mean that we are against material possessions but rather we warn that total human development and progress includes the spiritual aspect. They always bend themselves to look for material well-being and they rarely look at the sky in order to thank God who is the real owner of the things that they have.

Finally, the seed that falls on the good ground resembles the hearts of those who hear the word of God and respond to His word by applying it to them and they bear the fruits of their good deeds. This happens because they grow roots. Roots are invisible, unrecognized and forgotten. How often do we say: “How delicious the mangoes of this tree are.” But how many of us say: “This mango tree or this plant or this flower must have a good root”? Roots themselves are quite ugly. They are dirty, long, thin, and twisted. But paradoxically, they produce beauty above the ground. Roots are the strength and life of trees, plants and flowers; they are also the necessary means for us to grow in faith.

I would like to offer my apologies for not being with you last weekend but to my misfortune, I contracted COVID, and therefore I had to leave Fr. Michele alone with the responsibility of the Masses. Thanks to all who prayed for my health and for those who sent me good wishes. But above all, I would like to thank Fr. Michele.

I encourage all to allow the Word of God to create roots in you. That will make us One Body, One Spirit, One Family!

Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Michael the Archangel, St. José Gregorio Hernández, Pope Saint Pius X, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Charbel, pray for us.

Yours in Christ!
Fr. Omar